As I sat down to write this post, the cabin I live in was getting a bit chilly and I decided to start a fire in my wood stove to warm up the place.  As I was getting the fire going it dawned on me that stoking the fire was a lot like Practicing the Presence.  Both practices demand that I get the fire started and keep it going. 

Just like igniting a fire in my fireplace, I have to be willing to prepare my consciousness and make a good connection with Spirit.  Prayer and talking with God help me enter in to the place of the Most High.  In my stove I have to make sure that I prepare the wood by leaving enough space around each log so that oxygen can feed the flame once I strike the match and light the paper that gets the flame started.

That’s not all that I do.  I have a secondary level that I have to build into the process that lasts a bit longer and helps to build momentum in the fire. This supports dry little twigs that strengthen and carry the flame to the next level.   If I have done this well, the fire does not go out and cause a re-do.

Spiritually, if my prayer connection is heart felt, and I ignite my spiritual practice with the right attitude and intention,  I will feel grateful that I am able to connect with God, and I kindle the fire within myself that helps me go more deeply into my Practice of the Presence.

Another level of stoking the fire is where I do my practice on a regular basis.  I often join other in a sacred place.  I also have an altar, meditation chair and a wool blanket that I have used for years.  It carries the energy of my dedicated practice and helps also.

I often begin with a chant and read an inspirational quote or short chapter in one of the cornerstone books that were written by Masters that I respect enough to open my heart and mind to their wisdom.  I am very selective of these books because I know that I am drinking in the words and vibrations that they shared to help lift the consciousness of humanity because they loved and served God.  This stokes the fires within my soul and it carries the substance of divine love and deepens my spiritual practice.

Daily I use the spiritual tools of Kriya Yoga and the techniques of Hong Sau which means “I Am He/Spirit” and I do several rounds of that before beginning my Kriya practice which is essentially about mastering our energy.  This stokes the fire ever more deeply.  Whatever your practices are, it is wise to make a connection with the divine within yourself and lift your energy to the frontal lobes of your brain, toward the spiritual eye, the seat of the soul.

There are many wonderful meditation tools at Ananda.org if you want to explore Raja Yoga and learn more about the tools that I use. You can choose whatever spiritual practices keep your inner spiritual fires going and connects you to the Presence of God within you.  I have practiced the Science of Mind, The Course in Miracles and have used these universal principles for many years and they have helped me stoke the fires of my inner spiritual practice.  These tools greatly magnified the inner flames of my spiritual journey and supported my Practice of the Presence in so many sweet ways.

I am always working on deepening my journey by purifying the energies that are in my way and cause the flame of Presence to reduce within me. My daily prayer is to stay in divine partnership, so that I can feel and experience a deepening taking place that helps me know Gods Presence more actively in my life.  There is nothing more precious to me than this.

Blessings and Joy,  Rev. Barb